Like all the energy had left his body, Caden dropped to the ground, the maelstrom subsiding as his eyes closed.
Ten squirmed from Quade’s grip, and glared at him. “What is wrong with you?”
Quade couldn’t answer, couldn’t even track Ten’s movements.
“I felt you fighting with Caden. Do you not listen to me? His pain hurts me. I was sleeping, and all of a sudden, I fell out of bed, my head pounding. I could sense how angry Caden was, and I knew it was all directed at you. Why are you trying so hard to hurt him?”
Quade’s jaw moved and he realized he could speak. “He’s trying to leave Sanctuary. He wants to go back out into the world, and out there he’s a danger to everyone he meets. The council sent me after him before, and if something happens while he’s out there, I’d have to kill him.”
The thought made Quade’s stomach churn. In his mind’s eye, he saw his nails sinking into Quade’s belly and the light going out of those green eyes.
“He needs to go. We can’t force him to accept Sanctuary. Only Caden can decide to do that. If we try to keep him here, he’ll be resentful and hate us. I don’t want him to hate me. And if we don’t let him leave, he’ll never….” Ten sucked in a breath. “He has to go.”
“I thought you liked him.”
Ten appeared in front of him now, his anger a sight to behold. “I do! He’s my… friend.”
Quade’s eyes narrowed. Ten was usually brutally honest, but right now, he was holding something back. “What aren’t you telling me? And don’t try to say you aren’t, because I can see it in the way you are with him.”
Ten shook his head. “It’s one of a bunch of possible outcomes. If I say it, I might make it not come true. Just trust me, okay? Caden has to make this decision on his own.”
Slowly the sensations returned to Quade’s body. He turned to check on Caden, who was still asleep.
“What did you do to him?”
“Stopped him from doing something he’d regret. If he killed you, he’d never forgive himself, and you’d end up making him the monster you’re trying to stop him from becoming.”
That brought Quade up short. He hadn’t considered what would happen if Caden did hurt him. Would he have stopped, or could it have pushed him over the edge?
“I’m sorry.”
It was foolish that he was apologizing to a child, but Ten was more mature than most people Quade knew.
“Can you carry him home? When he wakes up, he won’t have the strength.”
“Yeah, sure.” Quade went to Caden, knelt down, slid his arms under his legs and back, and lifted him up, holding him to his chest. Caden’s rhythmic breathing suggested he was truly just sleeping, which put Quade’s mind at ease.
Ten started back toward Sanctuary, and Quade noticed him wincing with each step. He could smell the blood from Ten’s feet, and guilt crashed down on him. He’d been so intent on proving his point, he’d completely ignored everything else.
“Ten? Come here.”
Ten stopped and turned to face him. The pain was evident in his expression, but the little bastard was going to tough it out. Quade knelt down, careful not to jostle Caden.
“Climb on. I’ll carry you back.”
He was sure Ten was going to refuse, just to prove his point, but instead he stepped gingerly to Quade, climbed on his back, and wrapped his arms around Quade’s neck, resting his face against Quade’s shoulder. Quade was certain he’d have to fight his wolf, who he had no doubt would object to carrying Caden and allowing Ten to cling to him, but instead his wolf sat there, thumping his tail, seeming for all the world to be content.
Stupid wolf.
Light exploded behind Caden’s eyes when he opened them a crack. He’d never felt such a level of exhaustion, not even after running a marathon. Well, okay, half a marathon. His limbs were lead and his body had to weigh a thousand pounds.
“You okay?”
That voice. Quade. Caden wanted to rant at him, ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but…. He’d attacked Quade, and deep down he knew he would have killed him if given the chance. Just like Quade had said, he was a danger to everyone around him.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was hoarse, raspy.
“Here, sip.”
Quade held a straw to Caden’s lips. He took a few sips of cool water, which soothed his burning throat.
“I’m sorry.” The words were inadequate. Caden had never been a violent person, and the thought that he could hurt someone—could want to hurt someone—made his stomach roil.
“Nothing to be sorry for. I goaded you because I had to prove what I said was true, but… I was wrong.”
He could hear the pain in Quade’s voice, but had to wonder if it was because he’d pushed Caden beyond his limits or because he’d been wrong. Quade didn’t seem the type to like to admit mistakes.
“Ten says we have to let you go back. Forcing you to stay will only make things worse. And, of course, Ten knows stuff, so I can’t argue with him. I’ve got some clothes packed for you, and we found a car. It’s a cheap thing, really old, but it runs well. We would have gotten you something nicer, but we don’t have, you know, cars down here. No way to properly vent the exhaust, and our people like to be physically active. Mostly we have a lot of bicycles.”
Hope bloomed in Caden’s chest. “So I can leave?”
“I’d like it if you wait a few days for the doctors to check you over. Ten says he thinks you’re fine, but he’s worried he may have hurt you.”
Ten. Always Ten. He was a strong, sweet boy, and if Caden left, he’d miss him a lot.
“What the hell did he do to me?”
“You were on a rampage, pushing your abilities further than your body was ready to handle. He said if he hadn’t stopped you, you might have died.” Quade sucked in a breath. “No, he said if he hadn’t stopped you, I might have been responsible for you dying.”
Caden could see the pain on Quade’s face, even though he was sure Quade was doing his best to hide it. Caden wondered what it was like, having human feelings and guilts coupled with a lycan’s predatory nature.
“I don’t blame you, you know. You had to show me what I could do, and now I’m afraid of hurting someone. But you have to understand, if I just disappear, questions will be raised. My friends will come looking for me, and when they can’t find me, they’ll spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened. I can’t do that to them.”
Quade blew out a breath. “My people are more the ‘act first, worry about it later’ kind. I—I tried to show you what could happen, because if you go out there and someone gets hurt, they will come after you. Worse, they might send me after you, because I’m responsible for you now.”
“I’m sorry, you’re what?”
“After the thing with the bikers, I was sent to take you out. I hesitated when I saw you, because you were so fucking scared. And even when you had me at a disadvantage, you still didn’t kill me. I refused to follow the order until I knew why, so I brought you back here. Ten did his mojo, and we found out what happened. My boss, a half giant named Jack, was horrified that we could have killed an innocent person. When I told him that you were under my protection, he turned around and made you my responsibility. I have to tell you, I don’t want to be the one sent after you again, because I’m not sure I could hurt you.”